Jerry Weiss

Jerry Weiss, Emmy-winning technical director who worked on some of the first color TV programs, died July 20 in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 73. His death was only recently reported.

Weiss started out as a cameraman on live TV shows including “Lux Video Theater,” “Your Show of Shows” and “Colgate Comedy Hour.”

He worked on the first NBC color programs in New York and was sent to the Burbank Studios to help establish West Coast color productions.

Weiss contributed to projects such as the 1936 film “The Petrified Forest” with Humphrey Bogart and the 1957 TV special “Annie Get Your Gun” starring Mary Martin.

After working for NBC for 36 years, Weiss pursued freelance directing. He won Emmys in the technical direction category for “Dick Clark’s Live Wednesday” (NBC) in 1979, “The Magic of David Copperfield” (CBS) in 1982 and “Married People” (ABC) in 1991.

He was a member of DGA, IATSE and NABET, served as a governor and vice president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and was involved in developing the first TV archives at UCLA.